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In Memoriam

In the past, we have lost some of our most beloved musicians and friends who've shared their art with us and contributed richness to the musical tapestry of New Orleans and the world. Please join us in remembering their songs and their spirits, and use the Comments section below to add your own tributes to anyone we've missed.

Longtime WWOZ show host Billy Delle has passed away at the age of 76. His
family announced his cause of death as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. He
hosted Records From The Crypt on WWOZ, hours of "scratchy 45s," as he
referred to them, of New Orleans R&B from the 1950s and 1...
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New Orleans piano great Henry Butler passed away July 2, 2018, and a second
line in his honor will be held on Sunday, October 21. Led by the New Orleans
Nightcrawlers, the parade will start at 6p at the Funky Butt club site and
end at Snug Harbor on Frenchmen, where a memor...
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Leslie Johnson, better known as Lazy Lester, passed away Wednesday, August 22
at the age of 85 after a battle with stomach cancer. He was a wonderfully
gifted blues musician and performer who is widely known as a pioneer of the
swamp-blues genre.
Lazy Lester was born June...
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Since Aretha Franklin's passing on Thursday, many of our DJs have been
sharing wonderful tributes to the Queen of Soul. Here's a few, available on
our 2-week archive. Just click the show you're interested in and it will
begin playing.
DJ Soul Sister shares her favorite dee...
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​New Orleans piano genius Henry Butler has passed away at the age of 68.
Blinded by glaucoma at birth, Butler began playing the piano at age six, and
professionally arranged, composed, and performed since age 12. One of the
premier torchbearers of the New Orleans jazz and ...
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Tee Eva, formally known as Eva Louis Perry, passed away Thursday, June 7,
2018, at the age of 83. She was well known in the New Orleans community as a
baker of delicious pralines and miniature pies, as a parading Baby Doll, and
as a backup singer for Ernie K-Doe.
Tee Eva ...
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Saxophonist Charles Neville has passed away at the age of 79. He was born
December 28, 1938 in New Orleans. Charles was an important player in New
Orleans music for more than 60 years. Though he may be best known
internationally for his work with the Neville Brothers, his s...
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Big Chief Thomas "Tom" Sparks, Sr., of the Yellow Jackets, the oldest known
living male Mardi Gras Indian, died Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at home,
surrounded by his family.
Born in 1932, Tom reminisced about his earliest interactions with the Indians
in a 2015 Offbeat Magazi...
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Barbara A. Gillmor passed away on March 3, 2018 at the age of 62. Barbara was
a longtime New Orleans enthusiast who moved here in the 1960s. Upon arrival,
she knew-- "NOLA Til Ya Die," as she often said.
Barbara's flamboyant spirit and soul touched many. She was a dedicated...
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It is the end of an era in New Orleans as the last singing produce vendor,
Mr. Okra, has passed away. Arthur Robinson was better known as Mr. Okra, a
man who drove his produce-laden truck through the streets and sang his wares
through a microphone/bullhorn system. The simpl...
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